


FallBack

by mlyn



Category: Fast and the Furious (2001)
Genre: F/M, Fanart, Infidelity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-03-18
Updated: 2005-03-18
Packaged: 2017-10-24 02:58:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/258162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlyn/pseuds/mlyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I must share credit with LaMamaCita1981, who role-played a chat with me and gave this idea legs. Much of the first scene is her doing—a lot of Dom and Vince's bantering with my Letty, not to mention the narrative itself. She also beta'd the fic when I was done with it, as did Blackmeow and Khaleesian. I am grateful to them all for putting up with the weird pairing and quick turnaround time. Their help was indispensable.</p>
    </blockquote>





	FallBack

**Author's Note:**

> I must share credit with LaMamaCita1981, who role-played a chat with me and gave this idea legs. Much of the first scene is her doing—a lot of Dom and Vince's bantering with my Letty, not to mention the narrative itself. She also beta'd the fic when I was done with it, as did Blackmeow and Khaleesian. I am grateful to them all for putting up with the weird pairing and quick turnaround time. Their help was indispensable.

  


Working for a guy who owned both a garage and a market/deli had its advantages: you could take your lunch break and get great food at way below cost. Every day the team would stop work for lunch, if they could afford the time, and go visit Mia for half an hour. The market was neutral territory, in a way: no talking about work allowed.

Except when Dom broke his own rules.

Letty followed the rest of the team in, slipping her keys into her pocket and climbing onto a stool next to Dom. Leon and Jesse were their usual rowdy-toddler selves, grabbing food off the racks and jostling over positions at the soda machine. Vince tried to interest Mia in the bottle of Cuervo he'd won off some cholo on Alvarado who thought he could drive. Letty nodded in gratitude as Mia shook her head at Vince's offer and slid a glass of ice water her way. "We going to Hector's tonight?" she asked Dom.

Dom didn't look at her, only pulling out a parts catalogue and circling items to place an order. "Got work to do. Or did you forget that?"

"Screw work. We need a break." Letty slurped water, smacking her lips when the ice numbed them.

"Bills don't pay themselves."

She sighed. As if Dom being a workaholic wasn't enough of a buzzkill, he refused to look at her, too. She folded her arms on the counter and used them to push her tits up, leaning in until she pressed against his arm. He didn't blink. Another circle: new air filters.

"It'll only take gas money. C'mon, we haven't been anywhere in months."

"You just went to Hollywood last week."

She huffed. "Running parts for you is not going somewhere."

Mia slid a plate of a big sandwich and chips in front of her brother. He grunted his thanks and dug in. Letty stared at the food, wondering what it had that she didn't. "Dom."

"Goddammit Letty, NO."

Her back went up at his tone. Ignoring the looks from the guys, she pulled off her sunglasses and used the tip of an earpiece to jab at a spot on the counter in front of him. "Fine. I'll go to Hector's by myself. Maybe Angelo will be there. He kept saying he wanted to talk to me, last time I saw him."

He exhaled heavily through his nose, setting down his sandwich and pushing his magazine away. "You're such a pain in my ass."

"I'M a pain in YOUR ass?"

That warranted a glance in her direction, but he still didn't meet her eyes. "You wanna up your voice? I think the last house on the block missed that."

She lowered her voice as much as she could, which wasn't a lot. "You don't want to take me to Hector's, fine. Don't give me shit for taking some initiative. Aren't you always telling us to take initiative?"

"Yeah, in the business. I've been working since six this morning, Let." He closed the magazine and rolled it in both broad hands, turning his face to hers for the first time since they'd started lunch.

"So?"

"So quit bitching when I'm pulling weight."

She dug her thumbnail into a crack in the Formica. "I guess I can't count on you to take care of all your shit, then. Just the stuff that matters most to you."

He took a few seconds to respond, which wasn't usually a good sign. The market was completely silent. "You're a bitch to talk to me like that. You see me busting my ass."

Letty was painfully aware of the ears around her, but she persevered. "Exactly how long should I cut you a break? Until this job is finished? What about the next one? There's never enough time for anything but the cars, Dom."

Dom got to his feet, passing one hand over his scalp and thwacking the countertop with the rolled mag, a crisp crack echoing within the store. "Office. Now."

Her shoulders stiff, she stood silently and led the way into the back room. It was more a space with walls than an office. It had a table and easy access to the drink cooler, which was enough for someone to sit down and do the books when they needed to.

Once inside she turned and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for Dom to close the door. He tugged the strings to lower the blinds, but not before chucking the bird to Leon, who was simulating masturbation and grinning through the window.

"That asshole. He doesn't know when to mind his business." She scowled and hitched herself up to sit on the table.

"Not always." Dom leaned back against the desk, tossing the magazine onto a pile of several others and bracing the heels of his hands against the desk's edge. "What do you want to go to Hector's for?"

"Why do you think? To have some damn fun for once. Eat, drink, be merry, have sex in the back of the car and go home. We used to have fun, Dom."

He rubbed his eyes. "I got a big overhead to comp for and I'm the only one taking it seriously." Letty had heard the diatribe, but Dom sounded even more tired than usual. "We spent more on party supplies last month than we made off the shop. That's fuckin' ridiculous. Ridiculous."

"I'm not telling you to bring a keg along. Besides, you weren't partying with us. I'm asking to spend some fucking time with YOU."

"You want time with me, you know where I am."

"Yeah, that's real quality. 'Hand me the torque wrench.'"

Dom took a step toward her and leaned in, his finger emphatically pointing at the floor. "I need to cover for last month. I need to _break even_. I pay for the house, I pay for the car. I pay for _your_ fuckin' car. I pay all the bills on this shithole _and_ the shop. Do you ever even look at what's going on with finances around here?"

"You don't let me." She knew she sounded defensive, and hated it.

"That's bullshit. We cannot be giving every vato we went to school with their customization at wholesale cost."

"If you're so worried about money, then sell my car. Fire some employees. That'll cut down your overhead."

"Yeah, okay," Dom said flatly. "You're fired."

She lifted both hands to his chest and shoved him away, her face flooding with heat. "Fuck you. Don't joke like that."

"Then goddammit Letty, don't test me!"

"I'M testing YOU? That's rich." She kept talking while Dom turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's just all about you. Fuck me that I keep forgetting that, since I get reminded so often."

"Jesus, look in a fucking mirror."

"It's NOT the same thing. I'm trying to spend some time with my BOYFRIEND, y'know, like PEOPLE DO when they're FUCKING each other. When IS the last time we fucked, anyway?"

He turned to face her and shoved his hands in his pockets, a fake smile on his face. He shrugged his oversized shoulders exaggeratedly. "Beats me."

"Yeah, exactly."

"So if I'm not fucking you, does that mean I'm not your boyfriend?"

She blinked. Exactly where was he going with that? She didn't have time to ask, though. He pointed toward the door, his smile disappearing.

"Get the fuck out of here. I'm done with your shit. Don't come back to the garage, leave your car, and get."

She didn't plead, or try to make him take it back, or forgive her for what she'd said. Letty lifted her chin, glaring at him for a moment while he glared back. She had her pride, and she'd meant every word. Given that, she kicked a chair in his direction, and went.

After the door slammed behind her, she pointed a finger at Vince, who was watching her with interest. "Fuck you." Her finger shifted to target Leon and Jesse. "And fuck both of you, too."

Vince grinned. "Did I get fucked? I wasn't lookin'."

She started across the room, trying to block out everyone who was watching. Vince wasn't so easy to ignore as he purposefully got up to head her off. "I'll fuck you UP if you don't get the hell out of my way."

He danced into her path, took her punch in the shoulder, and blocked the door with his sun-burned bulk. His chin lifted in challenge. "What. What."

Letty curled her lip, her body tense. "Step off, bitch."

Vince was still grinning. "Be nice, dawggy."

Letty lunged forward and tried to wrestle him out of the doorway. She stared up into his face as he held her back, her face inches from his. His arms wrapped around her body and immobilized her. "What'd he say?"

She spat the words out, her voice shaky. "It's over. Let me go, goddammit."

"You know he doesn't mean it." He released her, returning to his seat at the counter.

"Yeah, 'cause he's coming out here to take it back right away." She looked pointedly at the closed-up office. Not even the blinds moved.

"Just go'n talk to him. Here." He picked up a bottle standing near his food. Cuervo Gold; his winnings. "You want that."

"To throw at his fat head?" She took the bottle anyway.

"To drink. Yeaaah, you want that." He grinned at her, then smacked the stool beside him and returned to his bag of Lays.

Letty stared at him for a moment, then sat and uncapped the bottle. She made eye contact with Mia for a brief second, then looked away and lifted the bottle to her lips, taking a long sip. "Can't I just get drunk and go home? I'm tired of trying to fix shit with him."

"That's cuz you don't put out." Vince munched on a chip, then slipped the bottle out of her hand for himself. Light coming through the bottle made a gold mask on his face.

Letty rolled her eyes and swallowed her second gulp. "The fuck you know 'bout it. I try…tried all the time. He's 'bout as interested as a rock."

After passing the bottle back to her, Vince reached around and snapped her thong against the small of her back. "I don't see you trying now."

She batted his hand away and took a third gulp. Her eyes and throat had gotten used to the burn, and her cheeks were quickly developing a blush. "I tol' you, I just did. He got a date with a comp or somethin'."

"A what?" Vince chuckled, holding the bottle's bottom tipped up just a little longer on her next swig. She choked a little and swallowed hastily, then swiped at the liquid that had splashed over her chin. With her blood still pumping hard from the argument, the tequila was kicking in quickly.

"I dunno. He just bitched about how he gotta work all the time to break even and he dunn't want to have anything to do with me that won't make him money."

"You could pay him to fuck you." Vince grinned at Leon and Jesse, nodding in the face of their laughter. "Two birds, one s…tone." He hiccupped and thumped his chest. He wasn't as much a lightweight as Letty was, but he'd started drinking before she had.

Letty spluttered, laying her head down on the counter. It felt cool against her hot, aching forehead. Her laugh quickly turned into a muffled moan. "I just want to get LAID."

"Me too." Vince rubbed her head, messing up her hair. "How 'bout I pay you ta fuck me and you give him th' money? He'd make a better pimp than a rent boy, anaway."

She laughed again, lifting her head. "You gotta deal."

"Leon." Vince slapped the counter. "You owe me ten bucks."

Letty took another drink while Leon pulled out his wallet by its chain. A couple of bills were handed over, Leon still chuckling. "Don't spend it all in one place." Jesse started laughing so hard his skinny butt nearly slid off the stool.

Letty and Vince got up to leave, both of them pointedly ignoring Mia's folded arms and disapproving glare. The distinctive sound of the office door made them pause—blinds rustling against glass and wood. Dom's voice, weary and rough, carried through the store.

"Letty. Get back in here."

She ignored him and jogged over to the passenger side of Vince's Maxima. He tossed the bottle in her lap and quickly pulled out, bracing a hand on her headrest while he craned his neck to look over his shoulder. She stared out the window at Dom, striding out to the sidewalk with a stormy expression.

"Fuck 'im," she muttered to herself, and opened the bottle to take another drink.

****

One of Vince's roommates, Brandon, was in the house when they arrived. Letty waved distractedly as he hailed her through mouthfuls of cereal and over the sound of the TV. Vince was nudging her urgently up the stairs, murmuring, "Go, go...." They were still laughing but nervous, feeling as though Dom was five minutes behind them and they had to finish...whatever...before he caught up. The tequila made the cramped staircase hard to navigate, but the alcohol was fueling this engine so she took another swig.

She felt a hand cup her ass as she stumbled over the last step. "C'mon, babygirl." His body bumped against hers as they made it into his room and shut the door. She leaned back against it. He put the bottle of Cuervo on his desk and braced his arms against the door, caging her in. "He treats you like shit."

She let the swimming feeling in her head take over, and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. "You all talk or what?"

Then his mouth was on hers, breath warm and uneven against her lip. She moaned at the pressure of his lips and opened quickly, meeting his slick, hot tongue with hers.

He pulled them both away from the door, steering her toward his bed while they continued to kiss. He pulled back just enough to keep from knocking their heads together when they landed on the bed together. She winced and pulled a shoe out from under her back. They were sideways, her legs hanging over the edge of the mattress, but it was good enough. Vince bit her lip for another kiss. She gasped at the throb and pushed her tongue back into his mouth, her hand trying to fist in his short hair. She wasn't used to having something to run her fingers through.

A cell phone rang. It wasn't hers. Vince cursed and started to shift, mumbling, "Leon..." She grabbed his ear, pinching hard like her mama did to her when she got out of line.

"Fuck 'em."

He grinned, the ringing going ignored. "I'd rather fuck you."

"Then do it." It was almost like she was competing with herself to see if she could go through with this. Every couple of seconds she'd think about Dom and start to hesitate, but then she'd think about all the times they'd argued in the last month. All the nights she'd laid awake listening to his snoring. And she kept looking at Vince and thinking…okay.

She arched up. He seemed to remember that he could use his hands, and did. She hadn't realized his fingers were so agile. It caught her off guard as he pushed a hand up under her shirts and into her bra, pinching a nipple into quick, aching hardness. She moaned into his mouth, but then he pulled away. Bringing his knees up onto the bed, he straddled her thighs and grabbed the edges of her tank tops, whipping them over her head almost before she was ready. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her bra, one black lace-edged cup dislodged by his hand, her nipple peeking out.

"Fuck, Let...." She didn't have to give any further encouragement. He bent and captured the escaped nipple between his lips, sucking hard. His stubble rubbed against her breast. She squirmed and worked a hand under her back, unsnapping her bra, helping him pull it away. His hand covered her other breast, fingers again ruthlessly pinching. He didn't let go, just clamped on, making the pain build until she lost her breath and writhed, crying out. Then he let go for a moment, rubbing with a fingertip and his tongue to soothe, then did it again. Vince had girlfriends and people talked, but she'd never known he was such a... _player_.

And he was so different than Dom. His hands were quicker and rougher, mouth alternatively hard and soft, beard prickly. His clothes were another set of stimuli, jeans, belt, shirt, jewelry, all textures and temperatures touching her skin. Of all the times she and Dom had pulled some quick fuck in the garage or at a party, it had never felt this frenzied and desperate, full of foreign sensations.

Her breasts were aching from over-stimulation. She called his name and he took pity and moved his head away, licking and biting down her ribcage. He was distracting her in ten different ways, dipping his tongue into her navel to play with her piercing while his body pressed against her legs and his hands...they were grappling with her pants, she realized belatedly. She lifted her hips and felt air hit her skin as he stripped them off. They caught on her boots and he left them. He whispered her name and slipped his fingers under her ass, deftly hooking the straps of her thong and pulling it away. Dampness streaked along her thigh as the fabric was drawn down. Vince looked at her for a moment, pausing, then slid back off the bed until his knees hit the floor. He pushed her knees apart and pulled her toward the edge of the bed, then buried his face in her.

She yelped at the shock of pressure on her sensitized flesh. He eased up and continued licking, mapping the shape of her and circling her clit teasingly, then dipped between her folds. Wetness spilled onto his tongue and he moaned, the sound vibrating in her every nerve for a few seconds before he refocused attention on her clit. Two fingers slid into her slowly, trying different angles. Finally he found the spot he was looking for, making her arch and moan as the delicious ache spread.

Her hips trembled, every muscle in her ass and hips and thighs locking. He knew without asking that she didn't want to wait, and just gave it to her: tongue flicking hard and fast over her clit, hand matching the pace. His fingers pressed her G spot hard again and again. She could feel it building and gritted her teeth, tensing, tensing, until she found that narrow edge and tipped over it. She shouted something with the first few pulses. The collapse was delicious, her muscles in spasms against his face and around his fingers, release rushing through her body. Her head thrashed a few times, then was still.

He took a breath and sat back. She could hear from the interruption in his panting that he was wiping his face. In the silence that followed, she wondered hazily what he was doing, then jolted at a tug on her bootlaces.

He murmured and kissed her knee to relax her. She let him take off her boots and the rest of her clothes, then opened her eyes when he leaned over her. He was smiling, face flushed. "How was that?"

She chuckled and pushed on his shoulder to sit up. He stretched out, pulling a pillow into position under his head. She knelt next to him, completely conscious of her nudity and of his scrutiny, knowing that her hair looked a mess and her thighs were smeared with wetness. She looked at his hand, the one that had inflicted some serious pleasure on her minutes before, lying innocent next to his head on the pillow. Then she looked at his crotch. The lump under his jeans looked considerably less relaxed.

He didn't move when she straddled him, just watched calmly. He lifted up for her to strip off his t-shirt, and kicked off his boots, but he made no move to touch his jeans. It was her choice to loosen his buckle and pop the buttons. His dick nudged insistently against her hand when she reached into his fly and tugged down the elastic of his boxers, pulling him completely free. He was circumcised, unlike Dom. The pale, untanned skin of his groin was flushed. She rubbed her thumb along his shaft. Everything was different; colors, textures, thickness and length. Vince had nothing to be ashamed of, but he was so different from Dom.

"You wanna just...?" His voice, quiet and slow now, pulled her from her daze of thought. She looked up.

"What?"

He shifted his hips, pushing into her grip. "Hand job. It's okay."

She blinked. He thought she was getting cold feet or something. She was touched that he was giving her a way out if she wanted it. She didn't, but it was nice of him.

She asked quickly, "You got a rubber?"

He dislodged her to get up, strip off his pants, and hunt around in a drawer. She got the Cuervo again and drank, wanting to keep her buzz. It made it easier to do this without thinking. Vince had been right; judging from arguments in the past, she and Dom probably weren't over.

But she wanted to do this, she deserved it, and Dom deserved it too.

He came back and tossed a packet into her lap, then took the bottle from her and drank as well. With his mouth full, he set it on the floor, then leaned over her and kissed her. Tequila trickled into her mouth, making a warm trail through her throat and chest. She swallowed and let the kiss deepen, stretching out on the bed and feeling him follow her. His body covering hers was a shock; he was warm, there was a lot of skin touching hers, he had more body hair than Dom. He was softer than Dom, too. Not as heavy. It was kind of comforting, feeling like she was with a man, not being pressed against a wall. She wrapped her arms around his back and dug her nails in, forcing herself to just concentrate on this.

He pressed his lips to her neck and ran wet, open-mouthed kisses up to her ear, then blew gently over it and made her shiver. That was the best spot to exploit, to get her blood up. She realized that all the times Dom had teased her, trapped her in his arms while they were watching a movie or something, tickling her ears until she squirmed with need…Vince had been paying attention. The evidence of him noticing what turned her on, and using it, was a big and welcome surprise. She turned her head and tipped it back, trying to get more of it. He just licked the line of her jaw over to her mouth, but instead of kissing her deeply again, he just pecked her lips. "You on something?"

It took her a moment to realize what he meant. "Yeah. Of course." He knew she slept with Dom…but then, maybe he was asking because it'd been so long for her and Dom, and he'd probably heard that her yelling about that. Whatever his reasons, her answer satisfied him. He lowered his weight onto her completely. She could feel his dick between her legs, pressing against her cleft. She squirmed obligingly and grinned when he groaned.

"Fuck, Letty."

"That was the idea, stupid."

He grumbled and kissed her again, his hands moving over her again. This time he only nudged her nipples gently, rubbing with calloused thumbs that made her shiver. After a while she hitched her hips up hopefully, but that only prompted him to lean back.

He groped for the condom in the tangled sheets, not taking his eyes off of her. He was definitely ready to go by the time he got it opened and rolled on—a flush had spread over his face and neck, even down onto his chest a little. Running her eyes over him, she reached up to tweak one of his nipples before he lay back down on top of her. He hissed and knocked her hand away. "Sensitive."

She smirked. "Poor baby."

Baring his teeth, he pulled her thigh up around his waist and thrust in hard. It forced a sound out of her throat. He paused to make sure she was okay. She noticed sweat glistening along his hairline.

"Too much?"

She shook her head and tightened her legs around him. "Just fuck me already. Jesus, who knew you were such a talker?"

He hadn't said all that much, really, but riling him up turned out to be fun. He snapped his hips against hers again, moving her up the bed an inch. She reached over her head and braced herself with the flimsy slats of the Wal-Mart headboard.

After a few minutes she realized another difference between him and Dom: stamina. Dom normally had nothing to be ashamed of, but lately it'd been wham, bam, and no thank you. Either Vince thought he had something to prove, or he was just that energetic. When she started to get tired, she wondered vaguely if there was a battery on his back somewhere. He seemed to notice her attention drifting and paused, touching her hip.

"Roll over with me."

Not like riding cowgirl was any less strenuous than missionary, but whatever. She followed him across the bed and climbed on, bracing her hands on either side of his head. He helped her move for a few strokes, then reached between them and pressed his thumb against her clit. It was easier this time; after a couple of minutes she shuddered into a gentle orgasm, breath hitching in her chest. She slowed but he caught her, moving her hips to his rhythm so he could finish himself. She closed her eyes when he came, instinctively knowing she wouldn't want to remember the way his face looked.

He rolled them onto their sides and leaned away just long enough to toss the condom into his trash. The covers were a mess, and had been before they'd even gotten busy, but he straightened them out and pulled a sheet up for her.

"What are you doing?"

He motioned for her to roll over. "Something else you don't get enough of." After she complied, he spooned up behind her and threw one arm over her. His breath ruffled her hair when he spoke. "Go to sleep for a little while, Let."

She was too touched, and too tired, to refuse.

****

Her phone woke her. Dom's ringtone. She just barely managed to get untangled from Vince and fish it out of her pants before it went to voicemail. "Yeah."

"You work off your mad?"

She looked at Vince, who had sat up. "Yeah, I worked off my mad." Vince tried to smother a grin.

Dom sighed. "Guess not. Look, you can either get your ass over here and help me with this exhaust system, or you can be unemployed."

"What about us?" She squeezed her eyes shut. God that sounded lame.

Long silence.

"We'll talk about it later. Hurry up if you're coming."

She heard something change in the sound of the line, and looked at her phone. He'd hung up.

Vince pulled the phone out of her hand and tossed it onto her pile of clothes, then pulled her into a hug. "We could always do this again." She laughed derisively at that, but reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You're too hung up on Mia. Now, drive me back over there."

****

"Took you long enough." Jesse's voice filtered out of a Legend's engine well.

Vince started to say something in haste, so Letty punched him in the arm before he said something that couldn't be excused. After a quick glance at her, Vince said, "Went to my place and had a few. Played a little XBox."

"Grand Theft Auto?" Jesse peered around the hood strut.

"Yeah," Letty smirked. "I kicked his ass." She glanced at Leon, then glared. He was watching her, not smiling, appraising. Leon was smarter than he let on. He got the message from her look and winked...or blinked. She couldn't be sure. He turned away and went to a tool box to start picking through wrenches.

Dom wasn't impressed. "We got plenty to keep you busy now." He turned back to his twin-cam. "You're staying until closing. Both of you." Knowing Dom and the schedules he'd been keeping, that meant a late night.

Close to one a.m., Letty climbed into her car and started back to her mama's house. She wasn't two blocks away from the garage when her phone rang, with Vince's ringtone.

"Yo."

"I mean what I said about doing that again."

She shifted in her seat. "V, I dunno..."

"What, his offer was so much better?" Point. Dom's only words to her at the end of the night had been that she could drive her car.

And it sounded like Vince was a little hurt, which she hadn't expected. "At least I wouldn't get beard burn between my legs again. Learn how to fucking shave, will you?" He laughed. "So, what? You want me to come over there?"

"Just saying I'm available when he's not. If you're interested."

Not like he'd been a lousy lay, or anything. And she'd given Dom plenty of chances; ignored the times she'd heard about him cheating on her, too. This was just a couple of friends having fun, blowing off steam. Not cheating.

"Yeah. 'Night, man."

****

Ten days later, Dom yelled, "Letty, five minutes!" It meant for her to be out of his sight for that long if she didn't want another argument like the last one.

She forced herself not to throw down her sander, or chuck it at his head, and put her tools away before stepping outside the garage into the grassy back lot. Jesse and Vince were out there, smoking. Jesse took one look at her face and made his excuses.

Vince dragged in smoke, squinting at a stack of tires. "Five minutes, Letty." So he'd heard Dom yelling. She snorted. "Seriously," he added. He glanced in the small window of the door, then looked back at her. "Meet you behind the tires over there."

If Dom wondered why she looked so flushed and sweaty after a fifteen-minute break, he didn't let on.

****

In three weeks' time, Dom had come up with the hijacking plan and the Toretto's accounting firm of Fuckit and Burnitall had gotten the books back on track. Dom was still pulling long hours at the garage, but most of the tension had dissolved between the group. Movie night became a regular occurrence again, and they were pretty much back to their goofy, happy selves.

So, when the current movie turned sexually graphic, Letty wasn't too surprised to feel Dom gently working his hands under her shirt. She shot him a look of reproach, and his hands paused, but then he leaned forward and rested his chin on her shoulder. He started nuzzling her ear, not paying any more attention to the movie. Leaning back against Dom, she caught Vince's eye.

He just smiled encouragingly.

****

A month later they were all at Edwin's, partying hard after a successful haul, when she went into the backyard and found Dom wrapped around some blonde. She could feel the usual: anger, jealousy, hurt, a sense of betrayal...but she felt detached from it, too. She didn't say anything, and Dom didn't notice when she went back inside. She knew he was drunk, and probably high, but it didn't make her feel any better.

Vince caught her in the driveway and just took her wrist, stopping her. "I'll drive." The weight of his eyes on her had become familiar over the last several weeks. She'd forgotten he was watching until this moment.

She had been ready to take Jesse's car. She'd gotten her ride to the party from Dom, since hers was in their garage, in the process of getting tuned. Vince didn't have to make the suggestion twice. She slid into the leather seat of the Maxima and closed her eyes.

Parked in his driveway, she opened her eyes and stared at the peeling paint on the garage. It was late, and his roommates must have been home; they were two cars back from the garage, almost sitting in the street.

"We're no better than he is."

"Fuck that shit." As used to his fiery moods as she was, he surprised her with his intensity, leaning toward her. "He got no call messing around with some slut. You an' him ain't been fighting for a while, so where's his excuse? Now, you, you have every excuse."

The logic still seemed flawed, but she didn't care anymore. She got out of the car and followed him inside.

Brandon and the other roommate, James, were still up, but they barely blinked when Letty walked in and followed Vince upstairs. If people cared to rock the boat, the news that she was fucking around on Dom could reach his ears in mere minutes. The fact that it had been going on this long and he still didn't know was surprising. Either people didn't want to be the bearer of bad news to Dom, or…they actually had her back. She was still surprised that Vince had turned out to be such a source of comfort.

The couple of times before had been rushed and energetic, like puppies playing, biting and rolling around with mock intensity. This time Vince was slower, but still paying all of his attention to her first as he had the times before. If she wasn't so uncomfortable with the term, she would've called it making love.

Her orgasm was so overwhelming, the rush of endorphins so powerful, that she started crying. Misunderstanding, he stretched out next to her and wrapped her up in a hug. She didn't have the energy to tell him she wasn't crying about Dom. Really, really wasn't.

When she got herself back under control, she pushed him onto his back and pulled the condom off. She ignored the taste of latex, sucking and licking until it was gone and she could taste pre-come. He started holding himself very tense and still, breathing unsteadily. Her arm was stretched up over his stomach while she went down on him, and when he came he gripped her wrist with bruising strength.

She fell asleep after that, but wasn't out for long when something woke her. Something touching her back...kisses, she realized. Her breath caught. She'd rolled onto her stomach and Vince was leaning over her, licking and mouthing a path up her spine. His hands settled at her waist and began rubbing, following his mouth. She smiled shakily to herself. She was always asking Dom for massages and never getting them.

After a long while he pulled up her hips and knelt behind her, his cock pressing against her wetness. She rocked her hips against him eagerly, inviting. He said, "Let," warningly, probably because he didn't have a condom handy, but she just pushed back before he could finish and took him inside, feeling his moan curl deliciously in her belly.

While they fucked he brought her to a small climax with his fingers, then pulled out after he'd come and turned her onto her back. "Again?" she whispered when he settled between her legs.

"Until _I'm_ satisfied."

****

Letty woke up early and left Vince sprawled on the rumpled sheets. After driving aimlessly through the neighborhood, she parked, twisted her keys free of the ignition, and rested her head on the wheel. Only then did she realize that she'd driven straight to her mama's house.

Letty made her way up the short walk. The house was silent, but still looked friendly. "Mama?" Letty called again, even though she was sure that the house was empty. "Mama?"

She sighed and wandered through the house, feeling like the last plug, rolling around in the box. She examined her reflection in the mirror, pulling her hair back off her face. Her eyes looked dead and empty. She looked away quickly and noticed that the bathtub was grimy. She pulled a gallon of bleach out from under the sink and dug out a scrub brush. It was soothing to scrub, to work the gleam into the porcelain.

"Leticia?" Her mother sounded out of breath, either due to surprise or the double armful of groceries she was hauling. Letty got up quickly and grabbed a bag. Her mother gave her a quick kiss, "Gracias, querida. Mira lei, you're such a help, cleaning the tub. Are you hungry? Let me fix you something. Leticia, you know you can see your panties when you bend over."

"Mama," Letty filled her tone with reproach. "Don't start, por favor."

Her mother shook her head, "I know, it's the style. Soon going naked will be the style. Just be sure you keep yourself covered well enough that you don't get pregnant by some man who'll leave you. Where have you been, I never see you anymore!" That was her mother: lecture and love, tied up in one. She hugged Letty when she passed to put away the chorizo.

Letty loved her mother, but the mothering itself got old fast. When she couldn't take any more for the day, she hugged her mother goodbye and caught the bus to go to the market.

Dom was there, and she immediately figured out why: he was in full hangover mode, sitting at the counter with a hoodie covering his head. Sunglasses shaded his eyes, doing nothing to dispel resemblance to the Unabomber. He was sipping Sprite and watching his sister take care of customers.

She hadn't intended on saying anything to him, but he saw her as soon as she stepped under the awning. When she headed for a seat, he called her name and pointed to the spot next to himself. But when she took the offer, he did nothing more than hug her waist in greeting and go back to sipping his drink. Leon and Jesse showed up, then Vince a few minutes later. He sat in his usual spot by the patio and immediately opened a car magazine.

Mia fixed her a lunch without her having to ask, which was a pleasant surprise. Dom's sunglasses turned toward her when she lifted her sandwich for a bite.

"What happened?" He pointed to her forearm. She turned it for an inspection and found faint bruises starting to form. The taste of the sandwich in her mouth was suddenly very similar to Vince's come. Her mind went blank. "I do that?" Dom asked.

She nodded and forced herself to swallow. "You don't remember. How fucked up did you get last night?"

He smiled wryly and took her arm. His fingers were cold and wet from the sweating glass. They warmed slightly as he rubbed the marks. "Sorry, baby."

She pressed her lips together in an imitation of a smile.

When he released her and went back to his drink, she looked up and saw Leon watching her with a pitying expression. She surreptitiously flipped him off, but his smile was no more enthusiastic than hers. Jesus. That explained the sandwich from Mia. Everybody knew what Dom had done the night before, and what she'd been doing, and they were all going to let her get away with the lie.

She felt a wave of exhaustion and depression hit her then, making her lose her appetite. She laid her sandwich on the plate and stared at it, thinking, wishing she could hop in the car Dom had given her and get away from this mess, from Dom and from Vince. This world was too small. Nothing was ever going to change.

Another customer came in and sat a couple of spots away from Vince, smiling broadly at Mia. "Hey there. How's the tuna?"

Vince looked up from his magazine and shot a glance between the newcomer and Mia, who was returning the smile. He bristled.

"Crappy." Mia looked so happy for the attention. That had to sting Vince, and looking at his face, Letty knew it did. Nothing would replace Mia on Vince's list of Must Haves.

"I'll have it on white, no crust," the blond guy said.


End file.
